Forbidden error for ttx.cgi returned when trying to view second page of tickets.

[1uptech]

Hi to all.

I have been searching these forums and other areas for hours now and I'm exhausted. I have been using TTX for well over a year now and have never battled a problem I couldn't overcome. I use the flat-file setup and TTX version 2.24.430. It all started in September when all of the sudden I couldn't view tickets past the first page and attempting to do so would yield 403 Forbidden claiming I didn't have permissions to access /ttx.cgi. I checked to make sure my ticket files were present and accessible, my username still had the appropriate rights and my scripting directory and associated files still had the necessary attributes. I am able to login to view, submit, modify, and so forth but if I try to view pages beyond the first page or try to search for a specific ticket number I get "Forbidden You don't have permission to access /scripts/ttx.cgi on this server". I have copied the contents of this directory to provided cgi-bin, updated my paths, but still receive the same error.

Any and all help is much appreciated. I'm at my whits end.

Thanks in advance.

[Sparky]

403 errors are generated by the server itself.

You didn't mention what server OS you have.

[1uptech]

Platform
Type    Debian
MySQL Version    5.0.45
Perl    5.8.8
PHP    4.4.7
Sendmail    /usr/sbin/sendmail
Perl Path    /usr/bin/perl
PHP Path    /usr/local/bin/php

[Sparky]

Make sure the directory containing ttx.cgi is set to 755

[Alex]

Almost for sure your web server includes some kind of safety module to protect your system against XSS, SQL injection etc. The developers of such modules keep surprising me, as the threat detection schemes are pretty naive. For example, one of such "protection" modules blocks scripts (and, yes, produces the 403 response) every time it detects word 'update' among CGI arguments. The Trouble Ticket Express may use the word 'updated' among CGI inputs (when tickets are sorted by update date) and thus constantly triggers the "protection". I would suggest checking your web server configuration and removing faulty modules.

[1uptech]

I went ahead and verified the file permissions once again. This directory, subdirectory, and subsequent files are all set at 755. Interestingly enough, I login and retrieve the first page of tickets and everything seems fine. I can sort the tickets by any method except the column that says updated. I get the 403 response.

Here's the next issue. I have to deal with my host regarding this issue and I'm not quite sure how helpful they will be. I have a list of currently installed Pearl and Pear modules. Is there something specific I should look for that I can point out to their tech support? I can post the information here but I don't want to clog up this post with useless lists. Would posting either of these lists be beneficial in assisting me?

[Alex]

re. can sort the tickets by any method except the column that says updated

Right on target. Ask your provider to disable "safety" module. It is neither Perl or Pear library. It is Apache module. How to verify:

1) access your home page (assuming it is static html page)
2) add to its URL (type into browser address string) this: ?update
3) hit Enter key

Example:

home page: www.mysite.com/index.html
test: www.mysite.com/index.html?update

Accessing the second page should trigger the 403 error.

[1uptech]

Unfortunately your suggestion didn't produce the desired results. Adding the ?update and hitting enter simply reloaded the page with out modifying the address in the address bar. So I still got to my index page normally and the address bar still showed mysite.com/index.html?update. Just to check, I tried your suggestion on my ttx folder and ttx.cgi and it processed normally as well.

[Alex]

That means the module reacts on different combination of words. This is obviously your web server configuration issue. While server configuration and maintenance services are not covered by free Trouble Ticket Express support, your may request the service by submitting a ticket to our help desk.

[Sparky]

Is there something specific I should look for that I can point out to their tech support?

The 403 error itself should be enough.  You have a properly installed and configured script with correct permissions.

[1uptech]

I just wanted to let everyone know that I went to my host with the information Alex provided about the Apache security module and with out them saying they modified anything it magically started working.

Thanks for all your help.

[Sparky]

....and with out them saying they modified anything it magically started working.

Hosting companies can be funny that way.   

If anybody wants a good recommendation of the really reliable and affordable Apache based hosting company I've been working with for the last ten years, just PM me.